Analysis and synthesis of trace gas fluxes

Principal Investigators:

Dennis S. Ojima, and Arvin R. Mosier

Current estimates of atmospheric growth of key trace gas species
are based on scanty measurements of the sources and sinks of these
compounds. The terrestrial processes controlling the fluxes of these
trace gas have been studied over the past decades, but a coordinated
effort to synthesize these studies and to analyze the environmental
controlling factors has not been conducted. A critical synthesis of
information on the biotic and abiotic controls of trace gas fluxes is
needed in order to advance our ability to determine regional... more

Current estimates of atmospheric growth of key trace gas species
are based on scanty measurements of the sources and sinks of these
compounds. The terrestrial processes controlling the fluxes of these
trace gas have been studied over the past decades, but a coordinated
effort to synthesize these studies and to analyze the environmental
controlling factors has not been conducted. A critical synthesis of
information on the biotic and abiotic controls of trace gas fluxes is
needed in order to advance our ability to determine regional estimates
of various trace gas compounds. The U.S. TRAce Gas NETwork (TRAGNET)
is developing an accessible data base of multi-year trace gas flux
data (and ancillary data) from a range of ecosystems across North
America, contributed by a number of independent research groups.
TRAGNET also includes several trace gas flux models, which have not
yet been tested against most of the TRAGNET flux data.